Transition
by Immicolia
Summary: Change is never easy. A series of short vignettes involving the GX cast in the time between GX and 5Ds. Pt. 3 - Asuka
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: __How long this will go on is hard to say. I'm simply writing short vignettes on a character by character basis, mostly depending on what comes to mind and who interests me to write about (although, knowing me, you know who is probably going to pop up more often than not.) There's no real plan, no grand, epic, story to tell. It's simply the GX kids, living their lives while things drastically change around them. The size of the time jump between GX and 5Ds is mostly my own speculation, given that canon has yet to give us any answers on that front and could very well be jossed eventually. I'm personally going off of the common speculation that the 2021 that appears in the 5Ds opening is the year simply because it's as good as any theory and works for my purposes._

_This particular part also contains vagueish spoilers for episode 18 of 5Ds, although I suppose they're not easily recognizable as such._

* * *

Judai hasn't been in Domino (_Neo _Domino, although it still feels strange to think of it that way) for years now. Things have changed so much, unnervingly so in some ways, that he doesn't feel like he could ever be comfortable there again.

There are still people he keeps in touch with, though, and when Sho sends him the news story about the young girl who claimed to have visited a world of Duel Monsters Judai decides that maybe a visit is long overdue. And, as hard as it probably is for Sho, Judai is thankful that his old friend doesn't live quite in the high-gloss heart of the city, not quite sure if he could handle it for any amount of time.

They meet for drinks in a grubby little bar and after all the obligatory, "How have you been"s and "It's been a long time"s (with a sidebar about Kaiser which results in a slight smile from Sho and a softly murmured, "No one calls him that anymore but you, you know.") Judai gets to the point: the girl, and her claims of seeing the Duel Monsters' world.

"It's strange," Judai says simply, fiddling with his glass, "I know there are others besides myself, and Johan and Manjoume, of course. But seeing it in the news like this…."

"So you believe it then," Sho replies with a slight nod, not that he expected anything else. Not from Judai.

"She's three, she wouldn't think to lie."

"Yes, but she's _three_. She could have dreamed it and wouldn't know the difference. Not that it matters." Sho pausing to take a sip of the drink in front of him before continuing, "I just thought you'd want to know. You and…." He doesn't finish, doesn't say Yubel's name out loud, but Judai nods all the same.

"We appreciate it."

The conversation turns back to more light, frivolous, things after that. Judai describing some of the places he's gone and the people he's met, Sho idly bringing up the various leagues and the Next Big Thing in dueling ("Have you seen any of those Riding Duels yet? I swear, if that actually catches on it's going to change the face of the game forever,") and Judai is nostalgically reminded of those early days at Duel Academia. Idyllic times that seem like a lifetime ago, when both he and Sho were just that much more carefree, before they were dragged to hell and back through mad quests to save the world.

At the end of the night, when they each stand poised on the curb, ready to once again move on in their separate directions, Judai hesitates for a moment, squinting towards the halo of lights that mark the heart of Neo Domino proper where the new KaibaCorp building looms over it all.

"It's been too quiet for too long," Judai says after a moment, drawing a vague hum of interest from Sho. "After three years straight of madness all this silence is just…." He shakes his head, as if to clear it and for a split second Sho is positive that he can see something flicker across Judai's eyes. Maybe Yubel, maybe the Supreme King, given the surrounding darkness it's hard to say. "Something's building. I swear, I can feel it, like an ache in the back of my skull and soon enough something huge is going to go down. Not tomorrow, of course. Hell, maybe not even a year or two from now. But it _will_ happen, Sho. I can feel it."

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, Sho can say in response to that. Because he knows that Judai is more than likely right.


	2. Chapter 2

At twenty-five, Edo Phoenix comes to the realization that he's obsolete.

Well, perhaps not quite obsolete. It's more a case of "evolve or die" and as he stands in the Senrigan Group's private box in a shiny new duel arena, watching a pair of motorcycles whip around an oval in some high-speed parody of the game he knows and loves Edo knows that he cannot, will not, be able to manage evolving. It will require too much, a complete overhaul of his deck. Diamond Guy's effect would be rendered useless. Dread Guy he wouldn't even be able to summon….

And the thought of cutting out any of his Heroes as superfluous makes him sick to his stomach.

Beside him Emeralda is explaining the Group's grand plans for turning Edo Phoenix, legendary pro duelist, into an equally legendary pro on the D-wheeling circuit and he finds himself turning in and out as she drones on. "…plans to work together with I2 to come up with some new support cards, Speed Spells of course, maybe a few others. And the instant this synchro-summon addition to the rules was announced there's been work on coming up with an addition to your D-series along that line…."

There's a childish portion of Edo that wants to slap his hands over his ears and run. Pretend that none of this exists. Head back to his penthouse, take a couple pills, and sleep until this whole stupid riding duel fad blows over. Because that's all it is, that's all it possibly _can_ be.

(And Edo still remembers years ago when Mike had smiled that sleazy grin at him and said quite simply that the public wasn't interested in regular stand-up duels anymore. They want gimmicks and costumes. But Mike couldn't have been right. Not about that.)

A few moments silence and Edo suddenly realizes that Emeralda has stopped talking; frowning at him expectantly and she must be waiting for a response of some sort. A nod, a brisk agreement, even a curt mutter of, "That's fine," would do. Edo _knows_ this.

Except his throat is locked up, eyes still glued to the cycles going round and round on the track below, and it takes everything in him to choke out a harsh, barely audible, "No."

"Edo?"

Two deep breaths (because there's no going back, not now) and Edo turns away from the scene below to look Emeralda in the eye. "I'm not interested. I'm not going to change my entire style, my entire _deck_ just to keep up with the next big thing."

"This is hardly an ignorable sidebar, Edo. This is the next evolution of the game. Attendance for standard duels on a professional level is dwindling. If you want to stay on top…."

"I don't want it that badly. I'm not changing my deck."

Emeralda studies him for a moment before turning her attention back to the window and the action below. "I don't need to remind you that your contract with us is up in a few months. We're more than willing to negotiate an extremely generous salary on top of the prize money from your tournament wins, if…."

"If I do what you ask and become a D-wheeler like a good boy, I know." A wry smile twists Edo's lips and he shoots Emeralda a sidelong glance. "You've never offered to up my salary before. Senrigan really wants to keep me in its stable that badly?"

"You're a household name, Edo, a prodigy all grown up. The crowd loves you and they want to see you keep growing and succeeding." Emeralda pauses long enough to shoot a small smile back in Edo's direction before continuing, "It's just good business to give the public what it wants."

"And I can't do that," Edo murmurs in reply, his eyes once again turning to the oval below; watching blankly as one of the cycles screeches to a halt, a plume of smoke declaring its loss.

* * *

_Although I'm pretty much positive that Dread Guy (or Dread Master if you will) can be summoned through normal means without going through the whole Clock Tower Prison mess, I don't think it's ever been played that way within the show itself (also, I believe it's more effective if you play it via Clock Tower Prison) As such, for dramatic purposes I'm ignoring the obvious. And the fact that I'm fairly certain that Speed World would render Diamond Guy's effect useless still stands._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Contains spoilers for episode 22 of 5Ds. Also, my own bit of idle fannish speculation as to where Fujiwara ends up post series._

* * *

Asuka didn't see the incident firsthand. She did, however, see the aftermath: the cracked floors and the holes in the walls and that poor first year girl sitting in the infirmary. Trembling and hysterically shrieking over and over again about how Izayoi Aki is a monster until a nurse finally sedated her.

Tenjoin Asuka's life has been one strange thing after another and not even a decade or so of quiet will stop her from expecting unusual happenings, e_specially_ at Duel Academia. As such, while many of the other teachers are buzzing with trepidation over this strange girl with terrifying powers that is among the rest of the first year students, Asuka is quietly philosophical. Wondering what it all means, if something world-threatening is going to occur before the year is out, if there is anyone among the students who will stand out as a hero like Judai did when she was a student and the world seemed to be threatened on a yearly basis.

Perhaps it could be Izayoi-kun herself, Asuka quietly mulling this prospect over as she puts up the illusion reviewing her lesson plans through lunch. The girl's power alone certainly didn't make her any immediate sort of threat, other than the fact that she appeared to have no real control. Perhaps with the proper sort of influence and focus in the girl's life the control would come, not that Asuka knew much about psychic abilities personally but having even one person who wasn't hissing cruel things about the poor girl behind her back certainly couldn't hurt things any. Making plans to talk to her as soon as possible.

Not that Asuka's good intentions mattered much. Soon enough finding out from Fujiwara (who had stayed at the school as a research student after graduating and eventually fallen into the same sort of instructor role that Daitokuji-sensei had filled so many years ago, dealing with the more mysterious and occult aspects of dueling, something that Asuka views as slightly worrisome) that the girl had left the school after being backed into a second duel and injuring yet another student. A frown of concern creasing Asuka's brow at the news and she finds herself murmuring, "That's worrisome," under her breath.

"It is," Fujiwara agrees with a slight nod, his hands jammed into his pockets as he stares almost through Asuka, obviously lost in thought. "But there's really not much we personally can do about it. Even if she chose to stay here neither you nor I could help her if she didn't want that help. It's out of our hands now. Really, all we can do…." He pauses, a wry grin twisting his lips and he quickly shakes his head. Obviously ready to dismiss that train of thought and Asuka immediately frowns at him.

"What? What can we do?"

"All we can do is hope that she doesn't get to the point where she feels like wiping out the entire human race just to make herself feel better," Fujiwara finishes with a shrug and a continuation of that dark smile.

"You mean like _some_ people I know?"

"That's why I didn't want to bring it up."


End file.
